Of course you have. Even passive political observers would have had a hard time avoiding the apocalyptic assessments from European politicians over the past few months. With the migrant crisis flaring, another round of doomsday rhetoric from Brussels to Berlin and beyond is upon us.

Here’s a look at the best, most calamitous, end-of-days proclamations ricocheting across the continent:

1.Donald Tusk, president of the European Council: “A political earthquake”

Donald Tusk

Tusk told MEPs Tuesday he had “no doubt that this [migration] challenge has the potential to change the European Union we have built. It has the potential even to destroy achievements such as border-free travel between Schengen countries. And what is even more dangerous, it has the potential to create tectonic changes in the European political landscape.”

2. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission: “Not going very well”

Jean-Claude Juncker

“The European Union is not going very well. And so we must ensure that we keep alive the ambitions, hopes and dreams of Europe.”

The president of the Commission warned the center-right European People’s Party last week that the EU faces decline and the “love affair” with integration may be over.

3. Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor: “Not what we wished for”

Angela Merkel

“If Europe fails on the question of refugees, then it won’t be the Europe we wished for.”

That was the blunt assessment of the German leader in August as she discussed the ongoing migration crisis.

“If we don’t find a solution today, if we don’t do everything we can today, then it is the end of the European Union as such,” Cerar said ahead of a special summit Sunday of EU leaders. “If we don’t deliver concrete action, I believe Europe will start falling apart.”

Cerar reiterated his warnings Monday when he announced that Slovenia is under increasing strain as it tries to manage the thousands of migrants passing through the country, even calling in private security firms to help out.

“If a joint solution is not found, it [the EU] will start breaking up,” Cerar said.

5. Werner Faymann, Austria’s chancellor: “A quiet collapse”

Werner Faymann

“Now the speech is about either a common Europe or about a quiet collapse of the European Union. One path is burdensome, difficult and supposedly long, and the other one would lead to the chaos.”

The Austrian leader set out the depressing alternatives for Europe in an interview with the Kronen Zeitung on Sunday.

“If we don’t stand together now, our Union and the values we share will start to break apart. “

Calling for another migration summit of EU leaders in September, the former Belgian prime minister warned that his beloved Europe was in deep trouble.

8. Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament: “Bad condition”

Martin Schulz

“Europe is in a bad condition.”

The German Socialist warned in September that disagreement over the distribution of refugees was causing the bloc to splinter.

9. Marine Le Pen, leader of the French National Front: “Destroy the EU, not Europe”

Marine Le Pen

“The French have understood that the EU does not live up to the utopia they were sold. I want to destroy the EU, not Europe! I believe in a Europe of nation states. I believe in Airbus and Ariane, in a Europe based on cooperation. But I don’t want this European Soviet Union.

Unsurprisingly, right-wing populist Le Pen had harsh words for the EU in a June 2014 interview with Germany’s Der Spiegel.

10. Mark Rutte, Dutch prime minister: “Could tear apart EU’s fabric”

Prime Minister Mark Rutte

The migration crisis is the largest challenge the European Union is facing, Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte said last week.

“It could tear apart the fabric that binds our cooperation,” he said glumly, just days before Dutch king called for calm on migration.

Steve

If it isn’t the end of the EU, it will certainly change the current EU forever. Borders which came down now are back going up. Old friends and alliances are now arguing.

If it happens the EU ‘divorce’ will not be painless. It will take many years and be indeed very painful. There are a number of risks too… Economically, what is also the future of the Euro? Can the Euro be maintained independently. If not, which countries are at risk of being seriously exposed by the revert to national currencies? Could we see a number of major economic meltdowns?

Whatever your opinion is on the EU and its current level of control/power… if the EU breaks-up, this could generate power vacuums across Europe to be filled? Europe seems to be edging to the right and all I can see is a nationalist reflex.

I don’t think there will be wars between countries within Europe (because of NATO etc.) but I imagine some very difficult times economically and socially for the next generation (25 years?). It’s a shame it has come to this!

At the end of the day it is the ‘normal’ people who suffer…not career politicians, Eurocrats, or the wealthy etc.

Posted on 10/28/15 | 5:39 PM CET

anulu

It is not the migrants or the economic crisis that is breaking up the EU.
It is the EU`s huge democratic deficit: citizens have no say on key decisions regarding economic reforms or management of their own borders. Higher unemployment and pressure from migration would be much easier to tolerate if the people who actually experience these crises were involved in debating the possible solutions for them.
Instead, all they see is a bunch of national leaders (usually tagged as “Brussels”) mumbling about these crises without being able to solve them.
The worst is that this is not their fault! They are stuck in their national political constituencies.
Back in the 1980s, they could still represent the common European interests as stakes were not as high as today. Now with much higher interdependence due to Schengen and the euro, they can no longer play the role of a substitute for the lacking truly European political representation, so all we are left with is the ever increasing conflicts between the EU member states.
In other words, we have reached the Dead End of European integration. The first signs of this were visible already in the rejection of the EU constitution by the French and the Dutch in 2005.

Posted on 10/28/15 | 5:51 PM CET

John

Far from being propelled by economic migrants, this crisis is mostly about refugees.If you read the British press, you’d think that Calais was the major battleground of the European migrant crisis, and that Britain was the holy grail of its protagonists.

Posted on 10/28/15 | 6:36 PM CET

Polish guy

There never was One United Europe.
Just look on this oxymoron functioning until now i EU “Eastern Europe”..
This is a clear admission of “Old ,better West Europe” about existence separate Social,Political,Cultural entity they call it “Eastern Europe”
I said THEY ,contrary to Me, Eastern European.
It started in Teheran and Yalta.
Good,Old West Europe in self-interest created Colonies in the East governed and administrated next
50 years by Soviet Zionist Communist.
End game &consequences is catching Old Europe right now.
in short future (30 years from now) there will not be Old Europe.
There will be Western European Caliphate

Posted on 10/28/15 | 8:22 PM CET

Polish guy

Yeah..The free societies of central and eastern Europe have only recently escaped from under the Soviet boot. While they embraced the integrated economics of Europe and the feeling of being under the protection of the West they are now being forced to obey the diktats of the European elite, and deny and subdue the very sovereignty they so recently won

Posted on 10/29/15 | 2:03 AM CET

Joe

Polish guy, I want 2 things:
1. That we Zionists would be a fraction strong as you imagine.
2. Whatever you are smoking.

Posted on 10/29/15 | 2:19 AM CET

paleocon666

Down with the EU. Simple as that.

Posted on 10/29/15 | 12:28 PM CET

YY

So the muslims and islam may be well the root of the destruction of the EU.

And of course with the happy help of the political left and the christians, the last who prefer any religion before sanity.
I can forgive muslims as it is exactly in their book, their believe, their prayers and as a result in their everyday actions. It’s terrible but the same as any natural disaster.
The back stabbing from the left and the christians, well, let’s say they have limited time to correct their actions and stop the massive islamization of Europe.

It’s either that or the people of Europe will take matters in their own hands!

Posted on 10/29/15 | 1:50 PM CET

Don

Damn: Isn’t her honor Muffley Merkel great? Europe fails if it doesn’t take in the “immigrants” but Europe ceases to exist if does take in the ‘invaders.” What a dialectical quandary. In other words, it’s now every man, and woman, for itself. But at least the terms “woman” and “man” have been banned from marriage licenses in the new Europe, at the end of its history, the last man, and the last woman. That’s something, a new progressive synthesis emerges, like emerging dung beetles from a waste pile.

Posted on 10/31/15 | 5:05 PM CET

Horatio Tremoine

the EU is a French invention to contain and constrain an expansive and hegemonic Germany and every measure since the inception has been enacted to that end. but the dirigiste French never had the capacity to control the enterprise as originally envisaged and now we see the emergence of the dreaded expantionist Germany – the country The Iron Lady said should never be allowed to re-unite – and its attempt to ‘take over, Europe by financial, economic, monetary and trade routes rather than military: look at how Frau Angela treated Greece, regardless of the causes of the Greek meltdown, it was the imperilaism of Berlin that became the most impactful element of that situation. The population of the ‘wider’ Europe have had it with mass unemployment to support the Frau’s brand of imperialism whilst importing the volumes of immigrant labour necessary to sustain German demography over the next 40 years. The economics of the EU are built on sand held in place by (western) Germany and when that starts to falter the whole enterprise will be undermined, I’m inclined to think Blowback has started and the tipping point when The Periphery will follow brave Polands lead and stick two fingers to the Frau and her myopic vision – the EU members are not Germanys savants. Berlin has always ‘looked east’ over the last several hundred years and has never been a fully committed member of The West, so now a Berlin-Moscow realignment is in the offing when the Frau wakes to the rejection of the Franco-German prescriptive ‘model’ for the others. The UK pivots east to Beijing, Berlin pivots east to Moscow, the defense of Europe proper will fall to the Visegrad Four … welcome to 2035 and a bright new future …. oh, and who gave Merkel, Junker, Stubb etc the fundamental right to give their countries away to aculturated hordes ? who the hell do they think they are ?

Posted on 10/31/15 | 6:40 PM CET

Polish guy

re:Horatio Tremoine..
..who gave Merkel, Junker, Stubb etc the fundamental right to give their countries away to aculturated hordes ? who the hell do they think they are ?”…
I would speculate THEY think about them-self as New Holly Empire ” ;-))
at 2)…”the defense of Europe proper will fall to the Visegrad Four””
Soon Visegrad Group will be enlarge for Romania,Bulgaria and probably Serbia..
That will cut off geographically and Politicly Old Europe from north shore Baltic See to south shore Black See and Bosforus ..
Central & Eastern Europe will never accept Franco-German dictate..and Islamization of theirs country’s and Culture
So, realistically speaking EU concept in current form is done and cold as cold turkey.
Regards M.

Posted on 11/1/15 | 12:52 AM CET

flo

Cant wait for the eu to break up. Its a tyranic squad to benefit the few while the majority slush around in the mess. National cultural values is what has made europe great. Now its full of crime, rape and hatred.

Posted on 11/2/15 | 12:46 AM CET

Ewiak Ryszard

I’m not surprised this message. Let me remind here a fragment of an ancient vision: “And [the king of the north] will go back (to) his land with great wealth [1945. This detail indicated that Hitler will attack also the Soviet Union and will fight to the bitter end. In the beginning there were no signs of such the ending of this war]; and his heart (will be) against the holy covenant [hostility towards Christians]; and will act [it means activity in the international arena]; and turned back to his own land [1991-1993. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. Russian troops returned to their country]. At the appointed time [he] will return back.” (Daniel 11:28, 29a) The return of Russia in this context also means break up the European Union and NATO. Then many countries of the former Eastern block will return to Russia’s zone of influence. Russian troops will be stationed here again. This will be the last sign before the global nuclear war. (Daniel 11:29b, 30a; Matthew 24:7; Revelation 6:4)

In 1882 British troops occupied Egypt. Great Britain then took the role of “the king of the south”. Around the same time, Russia expanded its influence in the region, which previously belonged to Seleucus I Nicator, and took the role of “the king of the north”. (Daniel 11:27)

All the details of this vision are being fulfilled from the time of ancient Persia, in chronological order. It is true that this vision is variously interpreted. As one can see, it has a lot of details. Therefore the insightful person is able to detect any error or sophistry. (Daniel 12:10)

Posted on 11/2/15 | 9:01 PM CET

Anne Pierret

I look forward to the day when this undemocratic monster will finally destroy itself or will be destroyed by Marine Le Pen.